Question of the Day: What Three Guns for the Apocalypse?

TTAG Irresponsible Gun Owner of the Day Hall of Famer FPSRussia last posted on his YouTube channel seven months ago. His astounding lack of productivity — a fallow period that began immediately after his manager was double-tapped at close range some four years ago — has done nothing to quell the conspiracy theories surrounding the unsolved murder. Anyway, the days of mega-million-view FPS videos seems past. Videos like Top 3 Weapons to Survive the Apocalypse, which gained FPS over 13 million views. And still resonates today.

Not to go all nostalgic in a Doomsday Preppers, Where Are They Now? kinda way, what three weapons would you choose to survive the apocalypse?

Kyle chose the Remington Model 870 shotgun, an AK47 and a Remington 700 (trigger trouble be damned). I think he missed the boat (upon which all my firearms sank). In any apocalyptic scenario I can imagine — including an invasion of Tom Cruise-sized aliens — stealth is a thing. I’m not averse to a GLOCK 19, of course, but I’d go with an FNS-9. For a shotgun, the Benelli M4 is my ballistic BFF. Rifle-wise, ammo availability, portability and the ability to kill and eat small animals in a world without Amazon grocery deliveries leads me to a Marlin .22 lever gun.

“A pistol is just a tool you can use to fight your way back to where you left your rifle.”

1. Any reliable pistol between 9mm and .45, high capacity standard mags preferred. (Mine is Ruger SR9c)
2. Any “better than bargain basement” AR clone in 5.56 or 7.62, as long as it is not California compatible. Hunting capable and ammo is universally available and generally reloadable. (Mine is Ruger SR-556)
3. Not a shotgun fan, but understand their utility – I suggest a good pump gun in 12 gauge. Once again, ammo universally available and reloadable.

Obviously pistol rifle shotgun. If you want to go maximum on site procurement, the glock 17 is the way to go. Mags and holsters galore, and plenty of ammo to feed it. Rifles are basically a 2 horse race, AR or AK. As far as shotgun, since mags are not an issue any 12 gauge should work just fine. Go pump for reliability, semi for maximum tactical effectiveness.

Benelli M4 or a Versamax on the 12 gauge side. I am awful partial to my 20 gauge Mossberg 500, though.
CZ P-07 handgun- I shoot one like no other, it conceals, and since this is a wish list, I want one back!
And an AR15. 22 ammo may be plentiful, but .223 and 5.56 actually keep in poor storage. Plus I have 21 reliable mags for mine, with at least 8 filled, maybe more.

So really, I could make do with what I have and buying another CZ. Hmmmm. Hooray.

Browning A5 for a shotgun, M-1A for a rifle and a Browning Hi Power for the pistol. The reason for choosing the M-1A is that it is effective from point blank to 1000 meters. An AR-10 would also fill the role.

My 1894C was garbage. I replaced it with a Henry in .357.
I think you’re on the right track though. In the apocalypse, we want easily serviced guns, like lever rifles and revolvers.

I’d go with the Henry in .357 and a Ruger GP100 in .357.
They can share ammo.
The Ruger doubles as a great hammer.
A .357 rifle is enough to hunt any North American game or the interloper scouts at decent range.
.38 and .357 ammo is plentiful.

Rounding out the trio, I’d probably go with a pump shotgun like the 870, or if human v. human combat was pretty common, an integrally suppressed AR-15 in 300BLK…and a reloading bench, since I’d never find any ammo while scrounging abandoned Wal-Marts.

Had a 1894C made by Marlin, JM stamp–replaced it with a Ruger 77/357 rifle–loved the Marlin, but hated the way it did not work good enough for me–the Ruger 77/357 has been so superior to the Marlin that there is no comparison–I searched everywhere to get the Marlin as they were no where to be found & ended up dissatisfied–took 10 minutes to sell it to someone else desperately seeking one–if I wanted to shoot a dime from 50 yards, the Ruger will do it consistently with 4 different ammos–this thing does not care what it shoots & does not jam

I agree Guard Armory tank would be pretty damn cool I believe they haven’t gotten the M1 Abram yet I think they’re still using the M60 battle tank. The only problem with a tank as you really do need a support crew 2 fuel Greece and mechanically maintain the vehicle. Tanks need constant fuel oil greasing air filters cleaned out tank tread plates replaced you name it they need it they wear out Hearts quite fast because of the weight of the vehicle. So really wouldn’t be such a good apocalyptic item unless you had control of a small neighborhood and had armored vehicles positioned in firing locations where you didn’t have to run the vehicles constantly up and down roads you could do that with Patrol units which could be lightly armored fast-moving on ATVs or side by side ATVs and you’d be able to get to the fight much quicker and use the tanks more or less as artillery support vehicles. That way you don’t have to scrounge diesel fuel 24 hours a day 7 days a week. And if you were able to find an M1 Abram you wouldn’t have to scrounge jp-5 jet petroleum turbofan engine fuel

I’m a Guard Tanker. Ues we have plenty of Abrams tanks, depending on your state. There are only about 10 States with Armor units. Some have Bradleys and Strykers because they’re cheaper. It pains me to say this, but unless I’m fifhting the Machines or aliens, I would want maneuverability mpre than armored firepower. I’d have to go with an ASV or Stryker variant. And they run on jp8 not jp5.

World War II, Willie turns to Joe who is sharing his foxhole, a Sherman tank parked behind them: “I’d rather dig. A movin’ foxhole attracts tha eye.” – “Up Front” by Bill Mauldin. First printed in “Stars and Stripes”

I’m gonna break the norm. Dump the pistol, it’s useless for anything other than a last ditch effort to not die. I’m carry my 300blkout sbr for fighting, my remington 700 in 300 win mag for long distance hunting and fighting, and my Remington 870 wingmaster for hunting/dumping rounds of #4 buckshot in the marauding hordes.

Most Infantrymen do not carry sidearms. You carry your rifle everywhere, you never set it down; you sleep with it, eat with it, shit with it…a sidearm and it’s ammunition is just more weight to carry around. Subtract the weight of the sidearm and pistol ammo and you can carry more rifle ammo instead.

I’m not an expert on SEAL tactics or kit, but if you watch “Lone Survivor” you will note that all of the SEALs were carrying pistols along with their M4s. I suspect they have considered the task(s) at hand and decided on the proper solution. That said,, the pistols did not come into play until all other options were exhausted. And as I recall it was double-tap every time.

1 16 inch barrel length 5.56 NATO AR-15.
2 Smith and Wesson 15-22 in 22 long rifle with a 1 by 7 powered Nikon Optics with custom turrets for yardage instead of MOA or mrad.
3 308 Caliber LR 308 semi automatic rifle with high-powered optic like a razor vortex bipod stock tripod or monopod rather. Something you can reach out and touch somebody with.
4 M&P 9 Performance Center with 5 inch ported barrel 17 + 1 rounds of 9-millimeter Luger for a primary handgun.
5 Glock 43 for a backup pocket pistol.
Now I wouldn’t be carrying all this stuff at once because you would be caring 30 pounds of crap with all the ammunition. Foremost patrols I just carry the 9 millimeter M&P the Glock 43 and the Smith & Wesson 15 22 and 22 long rifle. You can literally carry a couple thousand rounds of 22 long rifle without sweating too badly. And if all you have to do is make headshots on zombies the 22 long rifle at 100 yards will take care of that job no problem with 200 foot pounds of energy connecting with the target.

I forgot shotgun that would have to be a Mossberg 930 Breacher. I left out the shotgun because basically the ammunition is quite heavy and the reloading of a shotgun will get you killed 9 times Outta 10 you can fire a lot of LED very quickly down range but in a combat situation reloading them when you’re maxed out on adrenaline and dopamine flowing and you’re shaking like a leaf it’s very hard to manipulate shotgun shells into a tubular magazine and reload. But it would have to be a Mossberg since I live about 10 minutes away from Glen Mossberg. Shot mossberg’s since I was a small boy in the very early seventies all the way through till now.

All things being fair, I AM a zombie in Z Nation. I have handled Z Weed and had an actual Z weed doobie in my mouth. I’d appreciate you folks just using Super Soakers and paper wads in straws if it’s all the same to you.
Thank You.

There you go!
My nephew who is in the Navy is with one of the Seal teams. I won’t say which one. He’s NOT a Seal though. He’s the guy behind the scenes that figures out what they need for a particular dive, checks out a Seal medically if they come up having problems after a dive etc.
His personal weapon, PWS !
I’m an AK person but when I do pull the trigger and buy an AR style rifle, PWS!

You won’t regret it. I have two: a Mk107 pistol and a Mk116. The pistol is unreal. After much trial and error, I found a hand load for it that’s giving me (no joke) 2 MOA at 100 yards, consistently. That’s with a 7.5″ barrel. They’re both Mod1, so I can’t speak for the Mod2, but PWS does not play around.

1&2: Pistol and Pistol Caliber SBR in matched calibers, Probably 9mm due to weight and availability.
3: Lightweight Rifle in .223, preferable compatible with STANAG pattern magazines. – Could be talked into a .308

Perferably all suppressed, but at minimum, the SBR. Pistol and Carbine are main equipment, with the Rifle strapped to the bag for when needed. I like shotguns, but shotshells are heavy and take up a lot of room when in bulk.

Assuming a hunker down situation: I would trade the carbine for 12ga shotgun since different ammo types would lend to longevity, and 12 gauge is one of the most common ammunition types out there..

Too much depends on what type of apocalypse. If a disease wipes out 90% of the world’s population I don’t think it matters what 3 guns you have, you’re either going to die or not. Nuclear war? Probably the same. Global warming? Well as long as you don’t buy property that’s within 6 inches of sea level you’re good to go on that one. And are you on your own or part of a group?

In the post apocalyptic world I’d plan to be hiding out in the woods someplace avoiding human/zombie contact at all costs. Therefore, my picks would be a my Rug er 10/22, Marlin 336, and GP 100. .22 for small game, can’t be wasting .308 shells on rabbits. The Marlin will do just about anything you could ask a non-scoped rifle to do, save dangerous game. And .357 is powerful enough to take a deer at close range and stop a zombie in it’s tracks. Shot gun shells weigh too much to justify lugging them around just for fowl. Hopefully won’t need an AK or AR, but I figure there will be plenty of those laying next to the bodies if I should need one.

If we are talking about a societal collapse (due to disease, civil war, or other unexpected malaise) and I have to stay mobile:

I think I would NOT take a shotgun because the shells are extremely bulky. The only thing a shotgun provides that you cannot get with other platforms is the ability to shoot birds in flight. I would give up the ability to shoot birds in flight in order to pack along a LOT more ammunition.

Now that we have eliminated a shotgun, I would probably go with a suppressed Marlin Model 60 semi-auto rifle in .22 LR. I think the integral tube magazine would be a big advantage over removable magazines. The long barrel, 16+ round magazine, and semi-auto fire would provide somewhat decent close range firepower in a pinch. Of course that platform is ideal for small game hunting.

Next, I would pack a Ruger GP100 revolver with 6 inch barrel chambered in .357 Magnum. That would be a decent close range self-defense choice capable of launching 125 grain hollow-points at 1600 fps. And with 180 grain hardcast lead cartridges it would be capable of taking a deer out to 50 yards.

Finally, I would pack a suppressed AR-10 with 20 inch barrel chambered in .243 Winchester for those times when I would need some serious firepower and ability to reach out to 400 yards. I chose .243 to reduce ammunition weight a bit without sacrificing too much “stopping power” compared to .308 Winchester.

I’m not sure if there’s an inherent advantage to a tube magazine over a removable magazine, but with the 10/22 I can (if I have the foresight to do so) purchase multiple magazines. That said, my choice of the 336 goes the exact opposite direction, so I’ll call it a wash.

If I have my druthers, I’ll be packing my 3″ GP Wiley Clapp on my hip and my 6″ stainless in a shoul der holster. But then I’m up to 4 guns. On the other hand, I’ve been eying up this little pea shooter lately – http://www.ruger.com/products/vaqueroStainless/specSheets/10596.html They can be had on Gun Broker for ~$600. 39oz. 3.75″ barrel. .44 magnum. What more could you ask for?

My ‘stock up for the apocalypse’ am mo for .357 is Remy’s 125gr. HP, either UMC or HTPs. (The only difference is nickle plated cases.) They can be found relatively cheap. But for SD I like the full power stuff – Double Tap 158gr. HPs.

.243 is not a bad choice. .308 might be a little easier to find, but in a lot of apocalypse scenarios, all you’re going to have to do is kick in a couple of doors of the deceased and you’ll find both guns and am mo.

I prefer an integral tube magazine because it almost never breaks or malfunctions, it doesn’t stick down and get in your way (which potentially improves shooting accuracy in a firefight and reduces the potential of mechanical failure), and most importantly you cannot lose an integral tube magazine!

There might be a reliability advantage in the fact that the spring moves much farther with each round fed.

In the case of the 10/22 the 10 round rotary magazine doesn’t stick down. I do have a 20+ year old magazine with a weak spring that won’t feed reliably though. If you’re prepping you might want to invest in extra springs and the tools and know how to change them.

I think you’re selling the .30-30 short. With the right am mo, you could stretch that out as far as 300 yards for hunt ing, and you can add another 50% for defensive use. Bullet drop isn’t as bad as most people think with open sights. I figure on my 18.5″ barrelled 336 that front bead works out to about 10moa. At 400 yards the bullet should hit at the bottom of the bead, and that’s with the more generic loads. Good enough if someone’s shooting their AK in your general direction.

I am going to have disagree with you. Muzzle velocity on a 150 grain bullet coming out of a .30-30 rifle is a paltry 2390 fps. At 200 yards velocity is down to 1580 fps and energy is down to 832 ft-lbs. While that could still kill a deer or human, it is rapidly reaching the point of handgun ballistics and “stopping power”.

Now, if we are talking exclusively about Hornady 160 grain FTX LEVERevolution, that is a different kettle of fish. That bullet, out of a 24 inch rifle, is still hauling along at 1700 fps and 1,000 ft-lbs. of energy at 300 yards. If you can afford that ammunition in bulk, that would be quite the all-around combination.

There’s a couple of other rounds that have a little higher BCs. Federal’s Fusion 150gr. will put 1000ft/lbs out to 200 yards, as will Hornady’s 140gr. copper bullets. Some of the cheap 150grs. have a BC of around .185 and some around .220. I ran the .220 through Hornady’s ballistic calculator and came up with 480ft/lbs at 400 yards (2420fps mv). Compare that to Federal’s advertised energy @ 400 yards for their 62gr. .223 MSR round (16″ barrel) of 402ft/lbs.

I would definitely take .30-30 Winchester (especially with LEVERevolution 160 grain bullets) over .223 Remington 62 grain cartridges at any range for “stopping power”. According to my math, .30-30 Winchester has almost twice the cross-sectional area and about 2.5 times the bullet mass. That means significantly more “stopping power”.

Yes, the LEVERevolution rounds are the best option for long distance targets with a .30-30, no argument there. I’m just saying that they’re not the only good option, or even acceptable option in a post-apocalyptic world. I’m kind of partial to the Fusions since they’re cheaper and I’m not about to take a 300 yard shot at a deer without a scope in the pre-apocalyptic world anyway. For self defense I like Federal’s 125gr. hollow point, which they advertise as a ‘varmint’ round, but it has got to be a devastating SD round (then again, isn’t .223 a varmint cartridge?).

Is a TC Encore cheating? Or a drilling? Does packing out extra uppers or barrels count as additional firearms?

Seriously, though, a single barrel 12 gauge is a must. The mechanism doesn’t get much simpler, and choice of shot makes it capable of taking pretty much any game on the continent. Ammunition is plentiful. Granted, it’s sort of a last resort for defensive purposes, so some sort of detachable magazine semi-auto rifle is a natural second choice. Throw in a large bore revolver, and that would probably be my list.

Forget the pistol. You need a .22 rifle for shooting small game without vaporizing it, and a centerfire rifle for shooting larger stuff. Any bolt action 308 will do, but I’d have a Marlin 336 30-30 lever gun. Lastly, a tactical shotgun, 870, or 590. It will take the place of a handgun, and handle home defense, as well as possibly hunting.

I live in dense woods in a fairly sparsely populated area, so my priorities are a little different than most. I’d take a Chiapa Double Badger in 22/12 or 22/20 for both a shotgun and rimfire, a Ruger 77/357 since shots in my area rarely exceed 125 yards, and a GP100 or S&W 686 with a four inch barrel as a side arm. 4 inch barrel because it gets most of the potential out of the 357 whole still being concealable.

One could get by with just two guns. A .22 LR rifle for small game and a pump or semi-auto shotgun for everything else.

There are several possibilities for a third. An AR rifle in .308 if you need to reach beyond shotgun range. A bolt action rifle in .308, instead of the AR, for long range hunting assuming the shotgun is adequate for defense. A 9 mm semi-auto pistol or .357 double action revolver for defense up close and personal. The pistol has greater capacity and is quicker to reload. With a revolver, it’s easier to save your brass for reloading.

You’re going to need a rifle brother even a 22 long rifle is going to be more accurate over 50 yards and that’s IMAX I don’t know many people who can shoot accurately a handgun over 30 yards I mean it can be done but even with a 10 millimeter you’re going to have some real issues shooting long range with that. You’re going to need a rifle to take those 35 yard shots all the way out to 2 to 400 yards. Better stock up on that 10 millimeter ammo now that stuff is hard to find now imagine in an apocalypse when all the stores are closed unless you hand load would you be very well might do that and I suggest you probably start if you don’t. But good selection and good idea on changing out the slides.

I’m very happy to see that everyone seems to be picking a rifle shotgun and a pistol. And it seems like most people already have their 3 gun setup as well that’s comforting. I hope my neighbors are as prepared as I am just in case some crazy s*** pops off. LOL I can’t help but think that some type of virus or plague is eventually going to come because of the overpopulation. We are over populating the planet at an astonishing rate. I watched that crazy show last night the Monsters Inside Me and watch that show for about an hour or so and try to not think that the world may just come to an end LMAO. That show is very scary LOL.

Out of what I own I’d probably ditch the shotgun for a secondary carbine.

So I’d go with the M1A, AR and USP. While my bolt-action .243 would be in the running against the AR I don’t have a muffler for that rifle and really, for the most part the M1A is going to do the same or better job on game than the .243 will. I might lose a touch of range with the M1A but that’s a trade off I’d be willing to make for +15 in the mag, faster follow-ups and the ability to go from hunting to dropping two-legged predators without swapping weapons.

From my own safe? PWS Mk216, covers big game hunting as well as a serious gunfight. GP100, because when the world ends you won’t have to worry about mag capacity, you will have either fought your way back to your rifle or you will be dead. And for probably the most actual use, a 10/22 Charger takedown with a homemade folding ‘cheek brace’ (stock to be made after the SBR registration goes through) and a homemade overbarrel silencer (form 1 already approved). With subsonics, you can hear the bolt clacking and the bullet strike, and that’s about it.

M4gery and Arex Zero1- both are common calibers and extra ammo should be plentiful. I’m gonna leave the last slot open for options as I may need a silenced weapon like a crossbow or some such or I may need additional water/gear. Besides, I can only effectively carry two weapons anyway and can’t think of a scenario I couldn’t handle with one of the above two.

Colt 6920, Glock 19 and Remington 870. Reliable and capable of defense as well as taking all game necessary. Also extremely common; plenty of ammo, parts and mags to be scrounged up for many years to come.

If I have to pick from what I have in the collection let’s go with a 20″ barrel semi auto AR. Ammo is available and the longer barrel with a good (or even cheap) optic can reach out and touch somebody. Second is my Remington 870 or Mossie 500. I’d probably go with the 870 as it has an extended magazine. Both are rugged and reliable and will do birds, small game, deer, zombies and things that go bump in the night with great effectiveness. For the pistol I’ve got several good choices including a Browning Buck Mark, Smith 686, Springer XD9, but I have to go with the Mil Spec 1911 just because. If the space aliens or commies or zombies over run me I want to have a piece of classic American iron in my hand – and if its zombies hopefully the last round is for me.

I think a shotgun would make a perfect survival gun. As you said, a couple different barrels (28″ hunting barrel, 18″ slug barrel, for example), and several varieties of ammunition types (slug, buck, bird), you can pretty much hunt anything and everything in N. America, and defend yourself with the same gun. The obvious shortcomings is the range and weight of the ammo, but that can be overcome with proper training and using the shotgun within its limitations.

Since none of us here has lived through a post apocalyptic survival situation, none of us would really know what are the “perfect” firearms to use. I would say that the best firearm is the one you feel most comfortable with. I remember years ago reading online posts (on another website) about some dude who was a subsistence hunter out of Alaska (or maybe somewhere in Canada, I cant remember) who used a surplus m91/30 and military 7.62×54 fmj ammunition to do all his hunting (no bells or whistles, just iron sights). Apparently he was very successful.

I miss FPS Russia’s videos. They were fun to watch. Not full of the “Spec Ops”, “Operator” wanna be bull you see on other channels. Just good old fashioned fun with guns and explosives.

Good god does such a simple question beget so many responses. (I too find it irresistible to comment.)

I find the near total assumption of the shotgun inclusion laughable. As laughable as the battery powered anything on the rifles being noted. Does everyone have a sling for all stated long guns? (I doubt it). Should a terrible emergency strike and you are able to ride it out in place you do not have to choose. If you are forced to leave, you have to think versatility. A threat to weight ratio consideration applies.

01 an AR can provide close range/ urban defense capability and can extend that range to a couple hundred yards with a modicum of practice. The versatility is unmatched. You can take zombie and game alike.

02 I like the backup handgun as a second choice. In a disaster scenario one cannot assume they will always be in combat mode. There will likely be close range interaction with people and conflict could arise in an unexpectedly. Good to have a backup that is not obviously apparent.

03 optional third choice. I wonder if this actually an option. If i am solo, and on foot, there is a ton of other gear i would need/ want from blades to bolt cutters, water etc. weight is a huge issue. To play along and assume i will carry another long gun and another type of ammunition, why is everyone so convinced about a shotgun? Yes, shortrange against a charging, singular adversary, a shotgun is great. Yes pump actions are very reliable. For those who think they will have time to take some pheasants on the wing, during a crisis, i sincerely doubt it. Shotgun blasts will attract a lot of attention and only feed you one meal (birdshot fans). Besides you should already prepare to handle the food situation.

What about something longer range? .308 or some such… i have always imagined wanting a long range rifle with me but it is hard to imagine the need to take that 600yd shot if i am just trying to survive. Again, taking that boar or deer with the rifle will attract attention from miles around. Standing at the carcas dressing the animal seems like an obvious place to get attacked.

Perhaps the third weapon should be a bow? Silent, efficient from a weight perspective and certainly able to take game and zombie alike. Pretty accurate in the same range as a shotgun. Yep, i think that could be a winner.. i better start practicing.

And for those of us who can’t shoot a bow to save our lives there’s the crossbow that’s a pretty efficient weapon especially with a red dot set up with three colored dots for ranges a red dot made for both crossbows are kicking. Plus Daryl from The Walking Dead carries one so. LOL

If I have to leave Sheltering in place I’m going to bring some type of a vehicle that’s four wheel drive such as my F-150 twin tanks and load up with ammunition and three guns maybe for one for my girlfriend and enough ammunition to shoot for a while but I’m also going to bring food water all kinds of emergency care first aid kit bug out bag bolt cutters are in there already and lockout kit so if you have to break into a car just about everything you need and a little bit more all in three bags.